Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-30
Written for TIE EVENING STAR
ASTRIDE OF THE APEX
A Strange Adventure on Top of
the Monument.


man was bald and that man suffered; but thus
FAR, oelieye, it has beea impossible to ascertain
TIE exact date OF 50 important an event as the
Saxon invasion OF Britain. The giant Me-
gatheriun and Mastodon have become extinct;
the little mouse survives. Alexander the Great
left no descendant; many savage OF his day has
left a tribe. Some worthless men are struttIng
pefor the public now; their names are mentioned
IN every newspaper, and will tnfaliioly be
written In the annals Of the country. while you
and /, dear reader, know many wOrthier man
whose name VIII vanish when his tombstone
crImbleS.
These thoughts occurred to me during the past
two weeks more frequently than at other times,
because they have recently been 1llustrateu 10 he
In a remarkable manner. | have before me nov
The daily. Washington papers or April II, 1851
CHANGING over them / notice great many Items
which are OF mOmentary interest," certainty, put
which for one have no desire u remember. No
mention whatever IS made or the astounding
event that took place over night. A man sat
GStride OF the apex % the Washington M0nu-
ueBti Not "a person In all the city seems to have
noticed this very uncommon occurrence. Yet
have the most positive information that 1t did
occur. For was That man.
My home is in the mountains OF West Virginia,
though spend good deal of my time In WASH
iugtOu- In West Virginia i live with my uncle. an
Od bachelor, who, besides large farm, possesses
various other sources OF income that serve to dis
gIlse for hin The otherwise wcll-knOwn fact that
tSiS earth Is a valley OF tears In fact they dis
guS5 IL 81 successfully that he Is obliged 10 have
recourse 10 various devices for keeping his load OF
care IA proper proportions. In this ne does not
greatly differ from many people who get tired and
Miserable unless they have something TO worry
about. New one OF the devices which my uncle
has adopted Tor his own special annoyance and
disturbance OF mind Is @ronautics- In the course
Oi ms mtg years he has constructed about dozen
flying machines or various patterns, but up 10 the
beginning OF this year he had been unsuccessful.
What misery he endured in trying TO discover
the cguSeS or his failures Will never be known to
the public. FOR with the secrecy peculiar to him he
never allowed any one 10 guess the state OF his
a am Hr-Dr IN Is
c;ate hSSuferingS, for am the only one 10 whom
ne conf1Cied his designs AT last, in the first days
OF December, 1886, bright idea struck him. and
he Immediately communicated it TO me. saw its
Value at q glance. and gave my enthuSl-
astic assent TO us immediate execution. We
put forth Superhuman efforts during the en-
suing months, and toward the end OF
March had completed the new machine. /
will not describe Reconstruction both because my
uncIes confidence Is sacred 10 me and because
such disclosure could not throw any further light
on ms adventure. We made our first thai ascent
IN mOCnleSs, foggy night so as not 10 be CD
served The machine worked Ike miracle NV
uncle'S rapture Was unbounded. i had extreme
difficulty lii keeping him IN the car, for IL MS JOY
be became obi tous of the fact that he Vas hun
dretiS OF feet above ground and commenced dane
ing Ike girl Fearing that his excitement might
Increase beyond Iny control, lowered the machine,
and We landed safely. LATED with success my
Uncle proposed to have grand 1y, as he called ii,
the very next evening. He wished to take pro-
visions along. and lake an airy journey to Wash
fngtOn and Baltimore. l represented 10 him that
We had tried the machine only in one kind of
should the weather change. OF course 1t would
Fever do 10 make failure before the public. My
real reason was that wished the novelty TO wear
away and not excite his feelings violently, for,
Win an appiaui1ng multitude below him, feared
a. would be ungOyernable. He saw the wisdom OF
my suggestion, and We regularly assembled every
night thereafter. As soon as the dancing began,
! opened the valve, and We descended but that
moment was delayed longer every night. Finally
81 April II, concluded that he Was sufficiently
SObeTed. and agreed TO have our grand lily next
night; for, with his fnsuperable shynesS, he
4 2 ac1 Of
attempt.
! ro- favored an early start. We rose swiftly
AID nVioeleSsly. The air-sAip acted like living
Thing. A gentle western breeze bore US toward
Tie dark AiieghanfeS that rear their heads above
our nsJ1ve valley. That was precisely the direc-
ton We wished 10 take aud SO we stopped our
propeller and e26ed our Iuider. The lights OF the
farm houses soon grew dim in the white fog but
the stars. at 1rst obscurely seen, became brighter.
Finally We assembled into clear air, and saw the
fUC aS a white sheet below Us, from which mount
am peaks and creStS rose darkIy here and there.
We never had assembled SO high do not know II
yOu have ever been in afrSn1p, dear reader but,
though am aAxiOuSiy hurrying TO the climax OF
my adventure, must delay q moment and tell OF
my feelings at that time, which were SO strong
that the overwhelming emotions that followed
could noS'iuite effaee them. There may be awein
being
-Alone. alone. sll. all alone,
Alone d wide, wide sea:'
In thinking OF boQndleSs space around and bound
less depth beneath: but IL can hardly surpasS the
strange loneliness that dwelS In the vast heights
OF the air. The eye l. alarmed 70 md no object to
and the frau ship above: the ear Is shocked TO
hear the voice 5upe1ndturally clear and sharp be-
cause unmellowed Oy echo. You seem 10 be mo-
tiOnieSs, andyet, by changing features below, you
can tell now and then that you are travelling at
The rate OF many miles an hour. Ny uncle seemed
10 share my Feelings. for he sat very quiet watch
fng the scenery below, which grew more and more
Iniisjinct. Presently 4 higher and denSer line of
mist appeared before US 'Sfhe Potomac shouted
my uncle, and at once the dancing began. / ex-
hOrted him earnestly to control himself, and
Threatened IS before 10 open the valve and so spoil
our trip- This threat had its desired effect. The
white nue rapidly became more distinct, and very
s0Ou We perceived number OF bright SpeckS in it,
which We knew 70 be the electric lights OF Wash
il-J0n. We had dTifted To the nOrtaward at this
tiile and 50, wishing 10 ~ directly the city,
brought our propeller and ru,sd1r into re1Uisi-
tign, which SOOa turned Us southwark. till we
hing perhaps 200 feet above Arlington Heights.
where We again abandoned the ship TO the breeze.
Through The log that enveloped the city We
Saw = tai, slender column rise directly Ia our
path. 'IIe Washington Monument" cried In
c3UtcLsl Tor my uIi,leS Lee gave violent twiJch
Ia consequence; but q significant motion Of my
hand IN the direction or the valve, and an i'm
VerioUs Tut. TUT brought about speedy col
lspse OF his excitement LET US anchor 10 IT,,
s1fI he. ~ glorious idea" said l. We quickly
descended the requisite distance, and few gentle
touches 70 the rudder brVught US in perfect line
Win the monument was shouting wildly with
enthusiasm, little dreaming what awful change
fs% moments would bring. Another second, and
touched the apex.
LEANED over the edge Of the car and clasped my
arms around the apex, my uncle holding my foot
- prevent our drifting on But, U, horror. the
breeze ~as too strong and my boot TOO loose: it
shpifzi on, and machine and uncle dr1rted away
h Is SILL a wonder 10 NE how came 10 have
presence Of mind enough 10 cling 10 the apex and
lot attempt u set back into the car. Had done
the latter, my mortal part would inevitably have
oeSseb0sd upon the pitiess stones below 70 allow
my iiiiIncrtal spirit u escape at once, and pre-
SIuabiyl ascend To q much vd5ter height
Bat ~, the situation, For some minutes hung
almost cDconSciouS and Tigid with terror Ms
arms clsi+l the apex, and my fingers clutched on
the ether side with almost sutOInac conyulsiou
AMI luckily Tor me, for my Will power was pralTi-
cdlly e7LpSed Had possessed more conscious
BssS, my fright would have numbed nay nerves
and SE4GAcied ZAP muscles. At iir5J / dared not
sir a nJnb or utter a cry. Gradually however
by accustomed GOODNESS returned 10 me- and be-
San % conslter I1y position
/ -: not naturally dizzy. even at the greatest
be gat; and 80 soon as j discovered that / Rad
- dlacGitE 10 holding or, lett quite at ease, as
L.T "a LI-tiistT chances OF life were concerned m
] could only nJld on Till discovered IKnew should
D. sale. also dSccFttlneQ that there was no par
LlculaF danger IN moving my limbs and changing
Ty position 70 some extent Tie fugitive machine
had !eft NE dangling the east face OF the pyrl
mid, With my ch4n Just above the apcx and NV
face directed westward toward the sacred soil OF
Virginia. That Was the least advantageous uOSi
SsCn under the circumstances help was to come
from the east either from nav uncle or from ne
Inhabitants OF the CITY; and 50 10 have a sight OF
Iiig prospect, resolved u shit nay position 10 the
Oaner SIDE.
As sat about carrying cut this resolution. ono
o. InY peculiar nar-orainci iancles came upon me
] hti resstin-d ali my s1f-poSss SSi0n and even
felt SOM bcyish CIVILIZATION Uyerr4y exploit " hat
2 s;0-y that VIII be 20 Tell, thought l. IL would
never DO not To be abe Ia adj: ''AnG sat on the
very aDe6." 80 swlinZ my r.gnt leg over 10 tbe
north lace OF tne pyramid. advanced my right